


The Crimson Bell

by toffiendfee



Category: Initial D
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Body Horror, Creepy AND Soft, Crying, Fairy Tale Elements, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kitsune, M/M, and other yokai, i honestly don't know how to tag this, just a little bit though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2020-12-13 17:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21001256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toffiendfee/pseuds/toffiendfee
Summary: Takumi meets a pair of kitsune out in the woods at night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea honestly just came over me this morning and I spent the entire first half of the day writing it on my phone. Then I spent the second half of the day editing it on my laptop. Ever since reading [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19664374) what-if oneshot from Kiyana's OSRASL series, the thought of the Takahashi brothers as kitsune wouldn't leave my head. It's quite different from Kiyana's AU universe, though. When I write creature fics, they tend to end up becoming "the adventures of Takumi the Human." :'D
> 
> I apologize in advance for excessive usage of the word 'gentle' and for all the creative freedom I took with certain elements of Japanese mythology. I'm sorry. I'm horny on main for non-sexual intimacy, okay? This one is super self-indulgent. Blame my best friend for convincing me to upload it anyway.

Yōkai have existed in the world for just as long as humans did. Most of them did not seek contact with humanity, though. For the largest part, these spiritual beings stayed in hiding from humans who would use them for their powers and force them into servitude out of greed. The most powerful ones were said to hide in plain sight, taking on the form of humans and living in their midst undiscovered. It was said that they were largely indifferent to the fate of the mortals around them. And in the end, it had been them who led the yōkai out of hiding. United even the previously weak ones were powerful enough to not have to fear humans anymore.

The humans, on the other hand, were now aware of their foolishness. It was already too late. The world did not belong to them alone anymore; and the nights belonged to the spirits that lived among them. Being outside in the nature during the night was a dangerous ordeal. That much was common knowledge.

Still, Takumi ran.

It was night, he was outside of the town and his fast steps led him further away from it. The forest path was only illuminated by the pale moonlight and Takumi tried not to trip over stray roots as he fled from his pursuers. He knew that if they caught up to him, he would be in a world of pain. And only because he defended his friend from their leader who had bad-mouthed her... But Miki, that bastard, had never taken well to his ego being attacked. That he would go this far, though...

Takumi panted; he couldn't keep up this speed much longer. He should find a place to hide for the night so he could maybe return to the town in the morning when things had calmed down and he could sneak back home.

He had not quite managed to think that thought to the end when, seemingly out of nowhere, two figures appeared on the path in front of him, just a few meters away. Takumi nervously slowed his pace. He had a bad feeling about them, what with the way that they were just standing there on an otherwise deserted path in the middle of the forest. They were both tall, dressed in kimono and seemingly staring at him in the silver moonlight. The bad feeling solidified into fear when Takumi finally spotted their long, pointed ears... and their fluffy fox tails. Details that had decidedly not been there a few seconds ago.

_They were kitsune. _

Takumi immediately froze where he was and stared at the two yōkai. For a moment, he was too terrified to decide what to do. According to the stories told, kitsune were powerful and dangerous. They took joy in tricking humans with their powerful magic, and those who encountered them tended to disappear…

Takumi had run from the frying pan right into the fire.

The kitsune stepped closer, and Takumi stumbled back – only to remember belatedly that there was a steep slope next to the narrow path. He tripped over nothing with a yelp and lost his balance, tumbling down through high grass and bushes until he was finally stopped by a tree in his way. Despite the pain in his body from the fall he immediately tried to get up, but when he put weight on his right leg it collapsed under him. Takumi let out a little cry at the sharp pain that accompanied the action. His leg was likely broken. He wasn’t going to be walking anytime soon.

A mere few seconds later, the two kitsune were by his side. "Foolish human. There's no need to run away. If we want to catch you, we will catch you." The kitsune who had spoken chuckled gently. He had dark hair that glimmered in the moonlight, and three fox tails. The other kitsune only sported one.

Takumi stared at them, petrified by fear. He didn't want to begin imagining the things they could do to him. Kitsune in particular were known to deal horrible punishments to those committing wrongdoings, especially towards other, weaker yōkai. Takumi couldn't remember - maybe he had disrespected or hurt one, accidentally and without even noticing, and these yōkai were here to punish him for his carelessness.

“You know, most humans do a better job at entertaining us. They do not immediately fall down a hill. It would have been a bit more fun if we actually got to chase you.” The second kitsune - the one with only one tail, whose hair was startlingly blond – grinned down at Takumi, showing his sharp teeth. “Since you dared to go out into the woods at night, I would have thought that you know what you are getting yourself into. Are you someone who searches for yōkai? Do you have something to hide, maybe?” He leaned in closely, and Takumi inched backwards in fear. Did they think he was a hunter? Did those even still exist in today’s world?

The blond kitsune straightened back up. “Well, he looks pretty scrawny for a hunter,” he stated as if he had just read Takumi’s thoughts.

“I’m not-“

The first kitsune shushed Takumi with a finger against his lips before he could continue justifying himself. “The words your kind speak are full of lies. No, if you want us to believe you, you will stay quiet now.”

Takumi shut his mouth, the words dying on his tongue. These yōkai really believed he was a hunter, or otherwise out here to do harm… Despite himself, he felt tears pooling in his eyes. There was pain thrumming through his body from the fall, and he was at the mercy of two powerful fox spirits. He could already see his name being added to the list of mysterious disappearances.

A cold, clawed hand gently cupped his cheek. "There, there. Do not cry. Let me see first...", the dark-haired kitsune murmured.

The hand wandered down to Takumi's chest and came to rest atop of where his heart was. "Unfortunately, this will hurt you a bit." The kitsune brushed a strand of hair out of Takumi's face with his other hand. "We will make it all better afterwards... Unless I find that you deserve it, of course." He chuckled again, but this time it sounded a bit crueller.

"Would be a shame," the second kitsune spoke up. "He is so pretty. I like his eyes." He snickered. "Oh, but if he is actually a hunter, I guess I could just take them for myself."

Takumi flinched and tried not to look at either of them. They were obviously toying with him now. He thought that it was his fear that kept his body paralyzed, until he realised that it wasn't the fear: He really couldn't move. The kitsune had enchanted him. Tears started running down his cheeks, and the blond kitsune came closer to brush one away with a clawed thumb that Takumi didn't want anywhere near his eyes.

"Do not fret, little one. Let my brother read your heart..."

_'Read... my heart?'_

Takumi’s eyes wandered down to where the first kitsune's hand still rested over his heart. He stared, transfixed for some reason, as the dark-haired fox spirit lifted his hand slightly and then-

Takumi's mouth opened in a soundless scream as the kitsune suddenly reached forward, his hand disappearing into Takumi's chest as if there was no fabric or flesh in the way at all. He stared in horror as the hand sank into him to the wrist. There was no pain or blood; it was like the hand was completely incorporeal. After the initial shock, Takumi dimly wondered why he didn’t feel anything.

What _did_ hurt, however, was when the yōkai then closed his clawed fingers around Takumi's beating heart.

It felt so _cold_\- so cold, and wrong- pressure like that should _never_ be there, and oh god, oh god... Was he going to tear Takumi's heart out from his chest?! Takumi whimpered when he felt the kitsune stroke his heart – his HEART, in his CHEST – with his thumb.

"Shh, little human. I need you to open up your heart to me."

A violent, burning pain suddenly shot through Takumi, but it wasn’t because the kitsune pulled. It was somehow less a physical pain than it was mental. Takumi felt exposed, his innermost being laid bare and vulnerable as the kitsune started inspecting his soul. "Please...", he sobbed, not really believing that it would do anything to make the yōkai stop.

The answer he got was a shush, and kitsune number two started gently combing his fingers through Takumi's hair. "It will not be for long. Just endure, and if you have good intentions as you said, you will have nothing to fear."

Takumi almost laughed. There was a yōkai, a _kitsune_ reaching into his chest; and if there was even a chance that he wouldn't find approval in his judgement, the pain that Miki and his henchmen would have inflicted on him would be preferable by far to what these fox spirits would do to him.

"It is only natural that you are scared," the dark-haired kitsune said soothingly as if to answer his thoughts. Maybe he did just that.

"Easy now, easy... Ah, I see. You grew up in that town and never left it to travel somewhere else. You live with your father... You never got to know your mother. But your father taught you what you need to know; he seems like a good man... A hard worker. Hmm." Takumi didn't have the strength to keep his whimpers and sobs down, so they filled the silence as the kitsune made a thoughtful pause. Why did he talk out loud, anyway? Takumi knew already what he saw...

Oh, of course. He was telling the other kitsune. His brother, apparently.

"You are indeed not a hunter. Far from it, in fact. You worked hard your whole life, did you not? I actually like humans like you. Diligent and humble. Yes... I see no cruel deeds in your childhood.” He paused and laughed quietly when fishing for another memory from Takumi’s childhood. “Ah, that kasa-obake startled you quite a lot there, hm?"

That particular memory was of a warm summer day when Takumi was five years old. He had come across an old paper umbrella that suddenly started moving. He had screamed; and judging by the way the umbrella yōkai had shrieked and frantically hopped away, they had both been equally spooked by the encounter. Takumi writhed a bit; he didn’t want his memories to be exposed to others like this; yōkai or not. But there was nothing he could do as the kitsune dug further to unravel his personality and decide whether he may be allowed to live.

"I see no cruel deeds growing up, either... You're a respectful boy, are you not? You never saw any need to let your anger out on others. But- Oh? What is this...?"

The kitsune's awfully gentle voice paused for a moment and Takumi whimpered.

"Ah, yes. And I was meaning to ask you why you would be wandering alone outside your human settlement in the middle of the night now that it is clear you are not a hunter. Someone insulted your friend, hm? A pretty girl. And such ugly words that were said about her." The kitsune brushed away one of Takumi's tears with his free hand. "No, it is fine. Do not be scared. He deserved the retribution. I will not punish you for hitting him." He paused again. If Takumi had looked at his face in that moment, he could have seen a frown take form.

"He took offense, I see. And he called upon his cronies to hurt you... Now what did they plan to do to you to send you running like that...?"

Takumi wailed as the fingers tightened around his heart. He didn't want to remember what was waiting for him- He raised his eyes to look at the kitsune's expression and gasped in shock when he saw the tight-drawn lips and the dark, cruel glint in his eyes. “Taking a life in return for a wounded pride… That is not anything foolish humans can ever be allowed to do.” The kitsune's voice was low and harsh now, a stark contrast to before.

The fingers that had been soothingly combing through Takumi's hair the entire time stilled abruptly as the second kitsune stared at his brother. "He was on the run from other humans who want to kill him for talking back to them?!"

Takumi shivered and whined as the dark-haired one finally, _finally_ loosened the grip on his heart and pulled his hand out of Takumi's chest.

This had been horrible. Takumi finally felt like he could breathe again, but still felt chilled to the bone by the invading presence and deeply ashamed to have someone look into his soul like that. Tears ran down his cheeks and he would have liked to curl in on himself and hide them away if it weren’t for the enchantment still trapping him.

"They are filthy vermin. I suppose that punishment is in order. Would you not agree, dear brother?"

The blond kitsune bared his teeth in a dangerous snarl. Takumi could clearly see his sharp fangs. He was obviously the wilder and less composed of the two.

"Absolutely," the fox spirit growled and grinned ferociously, the lust for blood shining in his eyes. Takumi could only imagine the cruel thoughts running through the two yōkai's heads. He wanted to be gone from this place so badly.

What would happen to him now that they had not only shown themselves to him, but also gone through all the trouble of placing an enchantment on him?

He tried to hold back his sobs, but one escaped him loudly and clearly. The kitsune's attention shifted back to him, and the cruel expression on the dark-haired one's face changed into something almost gentle.

"Hush, little human. Takumi is your name, is it not? I saw into your soul, dear one, and you have nothing to fear from us. You do not need to cry anymore."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Takumi's forehead. Takumi gasped; it felt like an electric shock against his skin. Wonderful warmth spread through his body from the place where the kitsune's lips had been, and finally chased away the terrible cold from his heart and his bones.

He had just received a blessing from a yōkai. Takumi wondered if it left a mark.

A clawed hand touched his cheek again, and Takumi looked up into the second kitsune’s grinning face. "To be honest, I would have loved to keep you. In fact, why do you not just come with us? You will never be hungry again, never be cold again, and never have to hurt or be sick anymore. Does that not sound nice, mortal?”

Takumi stared at him speechlessly, wondering if a memory of him screaming at the sight of a kasa-obake was really enough to make a kitsune want to make him _immortal_.

How was he supposed to decline this politely?

“I- I’m sorry, but-“

“Ah, I forgot,” the kitsune interrupted him before he could properly finish stammering, “Most of you humans are so attached to their home. We should let you return there, should we not?”

Then he also leaned forward like his brother had done earlier, and this time Takumi expected the small shock of energy as the yōkai kissed him on the forehead. The gentle warmth chased the stiffness from Takumi's limbs, and he found that he could finally move again. The pain in his broken leg had vanished as well and when he looked at it, it seemed intact just like it had been before his fall down the hill. It had been completely healed.

Takumi quickly scrambled to his knees and bowed deeply enough that his forehead touched the ground. "I thank you, yōkai-sama," he mumbled. The kitsune had not only healed him, they were willing to let him go back home. He had been given a boon that he could never hope to repay.

A clawed hand gently grasped his shoulder and pushed him back up into a normal kneeling position. "You are a good human. The ones who want you harm shall be punished for their cruelty," the dark-haired kitsune said. "But before you go, we have one more gift for you." He pulled something out from underneath his obi and gently placed it in Takumi's open palm. It was a small, crimson bell.

"When you ring this bell, we will come to you wherever you may be. We will take you with us like we promised, and you shall never wish for anything again," the kitsune explained.

Takumi's eyes widened as he stared at the bell and then at the two fox spirits. Even though he had shunned their offer to come with them now, they were still giving him the option of a life without hardship whenever he wanted it.

"What will happen if I never ring it?", he asked cautiously.

The dark-haired kitsune smiled and brushed a stray strand of hair behind Takumi’s ear. "Then, once you leave this world, we shall come to collect your soul and let it become one with the moonlight."

Takumi's breath hitched and he almost felt compelled to ask how a lowly mortal like him could deserve such an honour. He didn't, though, because he knew better than to insult a yōkai by questioning their judgement.

"Now go, dear human," the blond kitsune said and helped Takumi to his feet. His thumb stroked the outside of Takumi's palm once before he let go.

Standing now, Takumi bowed deeply one more time. "For your gifts I am deeply grateful. I will honour them for the rest of my life."

"That is all we would wish to ask for," the dark-haired kitsune said. "Remember us, Takumi. And when you ring the bell, we will be there."

The two fox spirits smiled at him one last time; then they turned around and vanished into the night as suddenly as they had appeared.

Takumi remained rooted to his spot for a little while longer, trying to process what had just transpired before he began making his way back into the town. The crimson bell was tucked safely into his pocket.

Some things were undeniably different upon his return. For one, he now saw little yōkai much more often to the point that at one time his father’s old teapot started dancing on the table when he entered the room. He suspected it might be because of the mark of the blessing on his forehead. The place where the two kitsune had kissed him was marked by the sign of a red crescent moon.

The other thing that had changed...

Well, the day after his return, a few of the town's young men were missing. Nobody knew where they had gone. They left no traces behind, but word went around that a yōkai may be at fault.

Takumi never saw Miki and the others again. What he did see again, though, on certain full moon nights, were two white foxes at the edge of the forest right at the town's border.

The crimson bell remained, for now, in the drawer next to Takumi’s bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got inspired by several things to write more about kitsune, and what better day to publish it than Halloween? ;)
> 
> So here I go, yet again making a multichapter story out of what was supposed to be a nice one-shot. It's all you people's fault! I never thought that this story out of all would get this much interest. :'D

It was a warm, moonlit summer night. Takumi stepped outside the front door of his home and rubbed his eyes. The tiredness still clung to him heavily.

The tofu he was sent to deliver to a customer just a few streets away was packed away into a small cloth bundle. Takumi was still mystified as to why people thought they needed tofu this late into the evening, but he wasn’t paid to question things like that.

Well, technically he wasn’t paid at all. Still, this tofu was going to be delivered and then he could finally go back to bed. It was a family business, after all.

Yawning yet again, he started his trek towards his destination.

“My, my. You just have a penchant for getting yourself into trouble, haven’t you?”

The sudden voice startled Takumi and he whipped around to see where it came from. Sure enough, there on the fence sat the younger of the two kitsune he had become familiar with. The fox spirit smirked at him, tail swishing from side to side before he gracefully jumped down the fence and walked over to Takumi. His steps were soft and soundless like those of paws on moss-covered forest floor.

“On the other hand, you should consider yourself favoured by luck. Not many humans would have emerged from that forest alive.”

Takumi bowed his head after getting over his initial surprise. “Kitsune-sama,” he greeted politely. “I didn’t think I would see you again like this.” And he had hoped he wouldn’t, too. Dealing with dangerous fox spirits wasn’t something he liked to do, and he still had nightmares about their last encounter.

Such qualms didn’t matter to the kitsune, obviously. He simply laughed. “Heh. So you thought, but it turns out that it’s a risk to leave you out of my eyes for just one moment. You mortals are so _frail_. It’s baffling to see how wilfully careless you are sometimes.”

That… did not sound very reassuring. Why was the kitsune here, anyway? Takumi certainly couldn’t remember ringing the bell that was still safely kept in his bedside drawer. He preferred the company of mortals. Even though some of them could be just as vicious, they at least didn’t have any magic.

That thought reminded him of something. “If I may ask the question, kitsune-sama…” Takumi swallowed. “What happened to Miki and the others?”

The kitsune grinned and raised one eyebrow. He leaned in closely; a bit closer than Takumi would have liked. “I don’t think you really want to know that, human. But if you still want an answer to that question, I will simply say that they, in contrast to you, did _not_ make it out of the forest alive. It’s dangerous for humans to leave their burrows at night, after all.”

He stared Takumi in the eye for another long moment and smiled wryly. “And yet here you are again. I would call that ‘pressing your luck’.”

“I didn’t leave the city,” Takumi protested and subtly took a little step backwards.

“True,” the kitsune admitted. “But tonight is a special night. I’m not the only yōkai in the city at the moment, and it will only get more as the night progresses.”

Takumi frowned. “Aren’t there always yōkai around, though?”

“Of course there are,” the kitsune huffed. “You would know, wouldn’t you? But those are the smaller, weaker yōkai; like your kasa-obake friend. Tonight, those like _us_ come out to play. You should go home, human. This is not a place for you.”

“I have to make the delivery, though,” Takumi said and slightly raised the bundle with tofu inside. The kitsune took a look at it and sniffed. He slowly shook his head.

“Then I will accompany you,” he said.

Takumi nodded although he still felt uncomfortable at the thought. If the kitsune was right, though, it might be indeed safer to walk with him than to make the trek alone. Even if he wasn’t, it hadn’t been a question or even an offer, and Takumi wasn’t as stupid as to try and deny.

As they walked through the dimly lit streets together, Takumi kept a respectful silence. He was walking around with a kitsune, for all heavens’ sake. The fox spirit didn’t make him much less uneasy than the first time he encountered him and his brother. Kitsune were creatures of mischief, chaos, and fire. And Takumi knew from own experience what decidedly unpleasant things they could do with their magic.

He ended up asking, anyway. “Is your brother not with you today, kitsune-sama?”

“Not today, no,” said the fox spirit and gave Takumi a long look. “Don’t ask me where he is. I will not tell you.”

Takumi wisely kept his mouth shut about the topic after that. He couldn’t help being a bit curious, though, and pondered what secret things a kitsune might be up to. He came up with nothing he wanted to think about further.

Whether it was the kitsune’s presence or what he had said earlier, Takumi had never seen the nightly city look so ominous. A strange, heavy silence hung over the streets, as if even the wind was holding its breath. Only his own steps were echoing on the cobblestone; the kitsune made no sounds at all. He was looking around the abandoned streets, looking like he was actually keeping guard. But beside a flickering lantern that stuck its tongue out at them, they encountered nothing. Takumi was still very relieved when they finally appeared at their destination.

“Thank you,” the customer said, standing in the illuminated doorway of his house and handing Takumi the money for the tofu. “You should go home now. It’s late.”

Takumi nodded, waiting until the door was fully closed before re-joining the kitsune who had waited for him in the shadows. The fox spirit was smiling. “What wise words. You should listen to them.”

“Yes. I want to go home now,” Takumi said, hoping that this nightly adventure would be over soon. He was tired, and he wanted to be alone again. No more yōkai, preferably.

“Very well,” the kitsune chuckled and held out his hand. “Now that you don’t have precious cargo to carry anymore, let me bring you home my way. Walking everywhere is so tedious, especially on a night like this.”

Takumi stared at the proffered hand. Walking was… tedious? What was the alternative? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out. But once again, how would he even decline?

He swallowed and took the kitsune’s hand.

Said fox spirit’s smile turned deeply mischievous. “Hold on tight, human,” he said, and before Takumi could get his thoughts together enough to form regrets, the two of them had already taken a giant leap onto the roof of a nearby house.

“Wha- what-“ Takumi stammered as he lost the ground under his feet a second time, and the kitsune laughed at his shocked expression. They were high above the nightly streets now. Takumi could see the glimmer of windows and lanterns below him. Below his feet, there was only air. He yelped and clung to the kitsune’s arm as if his life depended on it. Which it did. The fox spirit was still laughing as he dashed through the sky above the city, dragging a helpless Takumi along.

“Isn’t this a nice view? Too bad we’re almost there already!”

‘Almost there already’ sounded like music to Takumi’s ears. Sure enough, he could see the familiar street with the familiar house that contained a bed that he really wanted to be in at this moment.

Relief flooded him when they landed and he finally felt solid ground under his feet again. The kitsune still hadn’t lost his mischievous grin. “Flying isn’t for you, huh?”

Takumi lightly shook his head, still speechless and not trusting himself to give the kitsune a good answer at the moment. His legs were still trembling. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to repeat this kind of adventure anytime soon.

Standing in the shadows in front of his home, Takumi waited for the kitsune to let go of his hand.

He didn’t.

“You still have the bell, don’t you?” the fox spirit asked in a low voice and looked Takumi deep in the eye. It was a very intent look, and Takumi suddenly felt very exposed.

“Yes,” he replied quickly and truthfully. Disposing of a gift like that would be immensely disrespectful, and yōkai absolutely did not deal well with being disrespected. Besides, Takumi _wanted_ to hold on to the promise the two kitsune had given him. However, he certainly didn’t trust them enough to take them up on their offer, which was how any sensible human would react to this kind of situation. Kitsune were not necessarily malicious, but they were neutral and self-centred enough that even a seemingly kind gift could ruin an unwitting human’s life. It was the nature of yōkai that they typically tended to disregard mortal needs.

The kitsune stroked the back of Takumi’s palm with his clawed thumb, still not letting him go. “Good,” he murmured. The soft-spoken word seemed to linger in the air like a plume of smoke, reaching Takumi’s brain as if through a layer of cotton.

He didn’t move as the yōkai raised his other hand and brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead, fingers coming to rest on the place where the mark of the crescent moon was. Takumi always hid it under a layer of make-up since he could imagine the reactions he would get from others if he showed it freely.

He didn’t move either when the kitsune exposed the mark underneath the make-up and looked at it with an unreadable expression on his handsome face.

“I wish… you would just accept,” he said, still in that voice that made Takumi feel drowsy.

With a sudden burst of strength and adrenaline, Takumi tore his hand away and stumbled a few steps backwards. The realisation what was happening had caused a rapid sense of panic that had allowed him to break away from the enchantment.

He caught his breath and stared at the kitsune, only then realising that what he had done could very much be interpreted as an insult. He wondered if he needed to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness for batting the yōkai’s hand away, but he was also pissed about what the spirit had been trying to do, so in the end he didn’t scramble to apologise.

The kitsune stared at him with that unreadable look again. “You keep surprising me, human,” he said.

“What was that supposed to be?” Takumi asked angrily, not acknowledging the statement.

“You intrigue me,” said the kitsune and closed the gap between them yet again. “I thought our gift was a… how do you say it? …An offer you couldn’t refuse.” He snickered quietly. “We had a bet going on, my brother and I. About how much time it would need until you gave in and took it. But you impressed us both, I guess.”

Takumi stared at him, shocked speechless.

“It’s a bit of a shame, because I really want you. But on the other hand…” The kitsune cupped Takumi’s cheek in his hand and stroked it almost lovingly. “…It makes you all the more intriguing.”

Before Takumi could bat him away again, he let go and took a step back. He was smiling, the sly kind that people warned about when telling tales about fox spirits. “You are a fascinating human, Fujiwara Takumi,” he said with a strange glimmer in his eyes.

And the realisation shot through Takumi like a strike of lightning.

Names held great significance in the world of spirits. Great significance, and great power. Since the two kitsune knew his name, Takumi was already theirs. They could just tell him to come with them, and he would have to obey. If they wanted to force him, they would have done so already. Instead, they had left him the bell so he may make the choice himself. The kitsune had just made a point of reminding him of that.

Takumi wasn’t quite sure if it was really as much of a boon since they seemed so sure that he would give in eventually. Then again, the humans in all those cautionary tales _always_ did. Takumi liked to tell himself he was smarter than that, but…

Well, his first foolish mistake had been running into the forest. If he hadn’t done that, there would simply be no kitsune that knew his name. He was likely already doomed to become the protagonist of yet another cautionary tale.

“Don’t look so spooked, human,” the kitsune snickered. “We’ll let you live your boring mortal life until you change your mind.” He licked his lips; an action that did not go missed by Takumi. “And when you do, I promise you won’t miss it.”

Takumi swallowed again and felt his face grow hot. He hoped this wasn’t another enchantment. “I think I’m very happy with my life, kitsune-sama,” he said cautiously.

“You _think_,” the kitsune replied and tapped his index finger against Takumi’s chest. “I know you mortals lack the imagination to fully grasp immortal life. I know it _scares_ you. All things you don’t understand scare you.”

His tail lazily swished behind him as he moved in closer yet again and leaned down to look Takumi straight in the eye.

“Do _I_ scare you?” he asked in a low murmur that gave Takumi goosebumps. Or maybe it was the piercing blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dim light.

“Yes,” Takumi blurted out without thinking. The kitsune showed no reaction for a moment, not even another laugh like Takumi had expected.

“I can’t read hearts like my brother does,” the fox spirit began suddenly (‘_Thank god,_’ thought Takumi), “but I do sense your soul. I sensed it back when we first met you, too. I couldn’t place it then and I still can’t quite place it now, but the feeling intrigues me. It would certainly be a waste to let it get lost to something as trivial as human mortality. And that is why I’m not willing to let you go, Fujiwara Takumi.”

The tone of his voice was almost sombre when saying this. Takumi’s heart pounded in his chest as he held the kitsune’s intense gaze.

“But don’t worry,” the latter continued and slowly straightened up again, “If you do not want to, I will not force you. No, I will teach you to want it. You should know, human, that neither of us wishes you harm. And until we have convinced you to come with us, we shall not meddle with your human affairs.”

The smile returned to the kitsune’s face, but it didn’t look sly at all this time. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but the smile seemed almost honest. Takumi didn’t know how to react to what had been said. He wasn’t sure if he was even capable of grasping every nuance of meaning that laid in the fox spirit’s words. Still, he felt oddly comforted and oddly warm when he thought about it.

“It’s gotten quite late,” the kitsune interrupted his thoughts. “I must go now, and you should finally retreat to your home.”

Takumi bowed to him, feeling grateful about what had been said. “Thank you for keeping me safe tonight, kitsune-sama.”

“Still so polite,” the yōkai chuckled. Then he bent forward and pressed a kiss to Takumi’s forehead, right where the mark already was.

Had that been another blessing? Takumi wasn’t sure, but he could feel himself blushing.

“I will be looking forward to the day I hear the sound of the bell,” the fox spirit said and smiled again. Softly.

And then he was gone, from one moment to another as if he had never been there in the first place, leaving only a slight scent of sandalwood and bergamot behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "special night" in question likely means a [Hyakki Yagyō](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakki_Yagy%C5%8D). Indeed not a good time for humans to be outside!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter pretty much to reward myself for finishing other stuff, and we're back to pure self-indulgence with this one. What makes this story so fun to write is the fact that I'm not even trying to come up with a proper plot developing a relationship, nope, these are two kitsune and they do what they want; and what they currently want is to shower this poor unwitting human with affection. I love writing it. It's so therapeutic. I mean, the second half of this chapter could basically be used as the script for an ASMR video. :'D

There was a bush growing in a tiny patch of dirt in front of Takumi’s home. It had been there for as long as Takumi could remember, but he never saw it carry any flowers before. Now, however, it was covered over and over in fragrant, vibrant red roses. Was it even a rose bush in the first place? Takumi couldn’t say it with full certainty, but he was pretty sure that it had not been a rose bush before. That was odd. Very odd.

But it was not like Takumi wasn’t somewhat used to weird things like that happening around him by now. And it wasn’t like he didn’t have a suspicion _why_ that stuff kept happening and who was responsible.

Since that night, he hadn’t seen either of the two kitsune again. He was thankful for the break that gave him ample time to sort through his thoughts, even though the random little gifts like _a rose bush that hadn’t been a rose bush before_ threw him for a loop every time. He was still scared of the kitsune, but significantly less so than before. In their absence, he was far more confused than scared. It was still hard to believe that two ancient fox spirits would pay any attention to a mortal. It wouldn’t be as weird if he were, say, a brave warrior in ancient times that fought demons and stuff. But he was just Takumi, a thoroughly normal person whose only talent it was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Only about three days after the roses, a lacquered vermilion box containing matcha appeared on Takumi’s doorstep. He decided that enough was enough, especially after the look his father gave him when he carried the box upstairs, face beet red.

The very next day, he left the house to pay a visit to the local Inari shrine. He took a portion of fried tofu with him since it was said that kitsune favoured that type of food. He wasn’t sure whether this would work, but it was the only way he could think of that didn’t include ringing the little bell. That, after all, still was a decision he didn’t feel ready to make.

The shrine was situated at the foot of the mountain amidst a little orchard. It was a beautiful place and Takumi wasn’t the only visitor on this sunny day. But while the other people were here to visit the actual shrine, Takumi slowed his pace after walking through the entrance. Right behind the gate stood the statue he remembered from earlier visits. He stopped walking and stood in front of it, looking up at the cold grey stone.

The statue depicted a fox, perched on its hind legs and looking in the direction of the entrance gate. The fox held a key in its mouth that had been carved with great detail, almost as if one could actually use it to unlock something. Some visitors had decorated the statue with pieces of red cloth, and at its foot stood a flat bowl for offerings. Takumi took the portion of fried tofu out of his bag and inspected the statue again, hesitantly. He wasn’t even sure if the two kitsune he was meaning to contact were shrine guardians and if it was possible to reach them this way.

Well, he at least had to try. He placed the fried tofu in the bowl and, after a moment of consideration, spoke a silent little prayer.

Just as he had feared, nothing happened. Takumi sighed, suddenly feeling stupid for the idea. Why was he even expecting that the kitsune would listen to his attempt to contact them? It wasn’t unlikely that they were willing to listen to the call of the bell, and the bell alone. What was he even thinking for making requests like that? He would never get to understand the fox spirits. It had been a dumb idea.

He turned around, biting his lip. What the younger of the kitsune had said to him last time was completely true: He was scared of the things he didn’t understand. And he didn’t understand what the kitsune wanted from him and what would wait for him if he went with them. He had thought that maybe they would help him with that question, but why had he expected that in the first place? They were yōkai, after all.

Suddenly, Takumi realised that all the other people that had been at the shrine with him had vanished somewhere without him noticing. He couldn’t even hear their voices anymore. In fact, it was almost unnaturally quiet; a silence that Takumi had come to associate with the presence of powerful yōkai.

And sure enough, when he turned around to face the kitsune statue again, there sat the older kitsune brother on the stone pedestal and taxed him with his dark eyes. Takumi felt his heart hammering in his chest.

“I appreciate your offerings, human.” The kitsune took a piece of fried tofu from the bowl and inspected it, starting to smile lightly. Then he aimed his gaze back at Takumi, who stood as if glued to the spot, adrenaline thrumming through his veins. “Tell me, what leads you to me? You must have an important question to ask.”

Takumi could barely remember the question he came here for.

“Are you-“ he began, but stopped himself mid-question. The kitsune, however, seemed to know exactly what he had been meaning to ask.

“-a guardian of this shrine? Yes. Me and my brother, we both are,” the kitsune answered; amused, judging by the smile curling around his lips.

Takumi gulped and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry, my lord, for bothering you, but-“

His apology was cut short by the kitsune’s quiet laughter.

“You do not need to apologise for seeking knowledge. I will happily answer your questions. Now go forth and ask, Takumi.”

The way the fox spirit said his name sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. Yet it didn’t feel like a reminder this time, like when the younger kitsune had done so. Takumi wasn’t sure how it made him feel. Either way, he managed to steel himself and cleared his suddenly dry throat.

“I- Well, to be honest, I came here to ask you to please stop sending me those, uh, gifts.”

“Oh?” The kitsune tilted his head elegantly, expression unreadable. “What gifts would you be talking about, exactly?”

Takumi gulped, hoping he wasn’t in the progress of gravely insulting not just any yōkai, but a shrine guardian and messenger of Inari. “Things like the rose bush in front of my door. Or the matcha. That was you, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, of course,” the kitsune answered, wearing an expression of pleasant surprise at being discovered. It was very obviously fake. “Those were my doing. You did not like them?”

“I do like them,” Takumi said quickly. “They’re just… a bit much. I mean… Don’t get me wrong, I do not want to insult your efforts, but… I just want to know- why?”

The kitsune simply looked at Takumi for a long moment, watching him squirm as he waited for the reaction. Then he laughed.

Takumi remembered how, in legends, the laughter of fox spirits was often said to sound like ringing bells, wind blowing through a bamboo forest, or something equally poetic. He knew now why it was described like that, because there were really no words for the feeling that the sound evoked in him.

“That is an interesting question, human,” the kitsune said after he stopped laughing. “I do not remember any mortal ever asking for the ‘why’ when I bestowed gifts upon them.” He gracefully slid off the stone pedestal and landed in front of Takumi.

“Does that happen often?” the latter asked impulsively, stunned by the sudden closeness of the fox spirit.

Shaking his head, the kitsune chuckled. “Not at all,” he answered. “I think you mortals know that us kitsune are not generous with our gifts.”

“Then maybe,” Takumi said hesitantly, “you simply did not give anyone before me a reason to ask ‘why’.”

The kitsune laughed again. “Maybe that’s true, though it still amuses me that you do not seem to know the answer already.” He seemed thoughtful for a moment.

“But since you don’t, I would like to answer your question by showing you something,” he said then and held out his hand.

Takumi looked at the proffered hand and then up at the kitsune, who smiled kindly. The last time he had taken a kitsune’s hand, it had resulted in a terrifying trip through the air.

“What do you want to show me?” he asked, even risking sounding rude. But he wasn’t willing to agree to something anymore without knowing what it entailed first. He was an idiot for ever doing that in the first place. These were yōkai he was dealing with!

The kitsune did not lose his smile for one second. “I want to take you to our dwelling, only for a little while. Say, the rest of this afternoon. Then I will bring you back here and you will be free to return to your home. Does that sound like an acceptable condition for the answer to your question?”

Takumi searched the phrasing for any loopholes that could be used against him, since kitsune tended not to outright lie. He found none.

“That sounds fine,” he said and took the kitsune’s hand. He expected another flight beginning as soon as he touched it, but that wasn’t the case. The yōkai only pulled him closer and slung his other arm around him. Takumi almost lost his footing at the shock of finding himself pressed against the kitsune’s chest.

“Close your eyes,” the fox spirit murmured into his ear. Takumi obeyed without thinking, and as soon as he had closed them, he felt a strange pull in his stomach and a strong and sudden dizziness. He immediately opened his eyes again, and they widened in disbelief as he looked around and saw that his surroundings had changed completely.

“How-“ he began helplessly.

“I was told you are not very fond of flying. I do hope my brother was not too rude to you. He can be a bit overwhelming in his moods,” the kitsune said, a smile curling around his lips.

_‘He’s not the only one overwhelming me,’_ Takumi thought glumly.

The kitsune slowly let go of him and gave him an opportunity to take in the new surroundings.

Incense hung heavily in the air and made him feel slightly disoriented with the intensity of its aroma. He recognised the scent: Sandalwood and bergamot.

They stood in a room that was furnished in a very traditional style. The floor was covered with tatami mats and there wasn’t much furniture to see except for some storage cabinets, a floor cushion, a low table, a painted folding screen and a large, decorated chest in one corner. Two paper-covered sliding doors appeared to be leading to adjacent rooms. A third one was open and led outside to a wooden veranda. It seemed as if this house was situated on the side of a mountain, since Takumi had a far view into the valley below. He marvelled at the sight for a moment before remembering his company.

The kitsune had watched silently while Takumi had inspected his surroundings. Now that he was done, the fox spirit smiled invitingly and gestured at the small table.

“Please, sit down. Be my guest.”

Takumi obeyed, still disoriented by the change of scenery. He watched as the kitsune took two bowls out of the chest in the corner and placed them on the table before sitting down as well. He filled the bowls with tea in a fluent motion – where had that teapot suddenly come from? – and pushed one over to Takumi.

Takumi stared down at it.

“You can drink. It is normal green tea,” the kitsune said gently. Takumi blushed and took a small sip, not wanting to be rude. It tasted amazing, even though he wasn’t a big fan of tea.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. The kitsune smiled and took a sip of his own tea. Both were silent for a moment, Takumi mainly because he was completely overwhelmed. He was in a house that looked like it was taken straight from the Edo period, in the company of a kitsune whose realm it was. It sounded like the dumbest thing he had ever done in his life.

The kitsune on the other side of the table set down his bowl. “I can see you questioning why I brought you here,” he stated.

Takumi nodded numbly.

“I told you that I wanted to show you the answer for your question. I am afraid that it is not an answer I think could be given very well using only words.”

Takumi didn’t understand a thing. He barely remembered why he had come to ask that question anyways. Understanding a yōkai might be just futile.

“You remember our first meeting, do you not?” the kitsune went on.

As if he could ever forget about that. Takumi shuddered as the memory hit him. It followed him into his dreams in way too many nights, causing him to wake up bathed in sweat and trying to shake off the lingering feeling of cold fingers squeezing his heart. It did very well in reminding him why he was scared of the kitsune.

“I see that you do,” the kitsune stated in a calm tone of voice. “You surely also remember the promise we gave you.”

Takumi nodded soundlessly. He couldn’t bring himself to talk anymore since he was busy being horrified at the situation he had gotten himself into. He was at the complete mercy of this yōkai, to the point that he likely wouldn’t even be able to leave this place if the fox spirit didn’t allow it.

“I saw back then that you did not intend to do harm when you came to the forest. I saw that immediately once I touched your soul. It is why we let you return to your home,” the kitsune continued. “But I also felt something different when looking into your heart. It made me dig deeper than I normally would.”

What was he talking about? Takumi had the feeling that he couldn’t hear him properly. The words reaching his brain sounded very muffled. He wondered if it was an enchantment.

“I must admit that I acted on impulse when I gave you the bell. I’m sure that my brother was almost as surprised as you were. That is why he sought you out, I believe. I think he understands now. As far as I am concerned, you have proven more than worthy of the gift.” The kitsune made a meaningful pause and looked at Takumi, who only blinked and barely moved otherwise.

“Takumi.”

The addressed startled and was torn out of his stupor by the sound of his name being called. He looked at the kitsune and noticed something akin to wistfulness in his expression.

“I will not hurt you.”

The kitsune spoke slowly and gently, as if talking to a frightened animal. Takumi’s eyes widened once he realised what had just happened.

“I- I’m sorry, kitsune-sama.” He noticed that his voice was trembling a bit. Judging by the expression on the kitsune’s face, he had noticed as well.

The fox spirit raised to his feet wordlessly and motioned for Takumi to stay seated. He purposely walked over to one of the cabinets and retrieved a bowl from within that he brought back to the table. It was bigger than the tea bowls. Once the kitsune set it down on the table, Takumi saw that there was a large piece of honeycomb inside, glistening with dark honey.

The kitsune carefully broke off a piece of the sticky honeycomb and offered it to Takumi. “Eat,” he said.

Takumi eyed the offered treat. “What will happen to me?” he asked quietly.

“You will feel a bit drowsy,” the kitsune answered. “The sweetness will calm you and help chase your fear away.” When he noticed Takumi’s mistrustful glance, he added, “Do not worry: It is harmless, gentle magic. Nothing bad will happen to you here; I give you my promise.”

Takumi looked up, searching the kitsune’s serious face. If the legends didn’t lie, kitsune always adhered to promises they made. He took the piece of honeycomb and bit into it, figuring that even if the legends were wrong, he didn’t have many other choices either.

The honey flooded his mouth with its sweet flavour. Together with the dizzying effects of the incense, it was indeed not long until he started to get a bit tired. His anxious pulse slowed down. He lazily followed the kitsune with his eyes when he walked over to the floor cushion and fluidly sat down in a perfectly postured seiza.

“Come here,” he then beckoned softly. Remembering the promise, Takumi obeyed. He wasn’t sure what was going on when the kitsune instructed him to lay down and rest his head in the yōkai’s lap. The position reminded him of something, but when he looked up at the kitsune’s gently smiling face, he could only think about how pleasantly sleepy he was.

“I said that I would show you the answer to your question rather than tell, did I not? I think what happens today might make you understand.” The fox spirit gently brushed his knuckles down Takumi’s cheek. “Relax and let me take care of you.”

Takumi sighed sleepily and nestled against the smooth silken fabric of the kitsune’s kimono. Somehow, he knew he would be fine. “Yes, just like this,” the kitsune murmured. He now held something in his hand and Takumi blinked when he realised what it was: A bamboo ear pick with a cluster of downy feathers on one end. He almost laughed. This was such a domestic scenario, but with a kitsune? It was surreal.

Surreal, definitely; but also oddly soothing.

He closed his eyes, finding it too bothersome to try and keep them open anymore. He didn’t fall asleep though, even though he felt as if he could do that. Even in an environment like this. Even when his only company was an immensely powerful yōkai.

But something kept him from falling asleep. Takumi wasn’t sure if the spell he was under was meant to work that way, but he suspected it. Otherwise he surely wouldn’t have been able to stay awake.

The kitsune worked silently, cleaning his ear with very gentle and careful motions. Takumi still wasn’t sure what this was supposed to show him, except for the fact that the yōkai didn’t wish to harm him. He only wondered why he would do it in such an intimate way. Takumi wasn’t a child anymore, after all. Then again, in the eyes of a centuries-old fox spirit, he might just be one.

He opened his eyes with great effort and squinted up at the kitsune, who stopped in his motions to wait what he had to say.

“Kitsune-sama, I still don’t understand,” Takumi mumbled, voice sleep-drunken.

“Then let me tell you a story while I continue,” the kitsune said, smiling down at him. “I will start with a question. Are you aware that we kitsune are givers of inspiration, among other things?”

Takumi hummed. He thought he might have heard of that once, but it was something that was often neglected in storytellings in favour of kitsune’s other qualities.

“We guard inspiration and creativity,” the fox spirit continued. “Sometimes, we share it with mortals so they may share it with the world. Blacksmiths have forged legendary swords under our guidance. Musicians have written songs that stood the test of time and still move humans’ hearts to this day. Poets have woven words together that are now forever ingrained in mankind’s memory.”

He chuckled quietly. “My brother mostly likes to inspire rebellion, though.” He shook his head as if to shoo the thought away, then looked down at Takumi with a strange spark in his eyes.

“Us kitsune have shaped the history of this country at the command of the gods. For centuries over centuries, we have sought out luminaries and pushed them in the direction we saw fit.”

Takumi had to look away from his intense stare. He knew that he wasn’t one of those people the kitsune had described. “What does all of that have to do with me?” he asked quietly.

“I will get to that soon,” the kitsune hushed him. “Where was I? Ah, yes. Those artists and artisans and inventors and thinkers and leaders… All of the ones I met I have touched the souls of. They were fascinating humans, no doubt. Destined to be a part of humanity’s memory. And yet…”

He paused artfully, putting the earpick aside and smiling, the mysterious and charming smile that Takumi had seen on his face so often already. He used his now free hands to cradle Takumi’s face in them, bowed his head a bit and looked deep into Takumi’s eyes.

“Why you, you asked? Well, that is one question I cannot answer. I don’t assume there is anyone who could explain to me why touching your soul felt so fundamentally different. In fact, I believe that it is one of those questions that has no definite answer.”

Takumi frowned. “What-“

“Shh,” the kitsune made. “You, human, somehow manage to be the most interesting of them all. Yet you are not ‘special’ in that same, mundane sense. Still, I can’t help but wonder what further mysteries you may hold.”

All that he said, Takumi took in with wide eyes. He didn’t understand what all of that meant for him. He was supposed to be special in some way? Was that why the kitsune wouldn’t leave him alone anymore, why they kept leaving him gifts and why they hadn’t plunged him into terrible misfortune already?

The strange, wistful smile from before reappeared on the kitsune’s face.

“I loved a human once, you know,” he said softly.

Takumi’s breath caught in his throat. So things like that didn’t just happen in legends… But why the sudden change of topic?

“It was in a different time,” the kitsune continued, seeming to bask in the memory for a moment. “It was an interesting feeling. One I did not understand at first, and that I still do not understand fully to this day. She shared something similar with me. In the end, though, she chose to live her life as a mortal among her own, and death took her from me. I cannot blame her for it, however.”

He slowly shook his head, and his eyes focused back on Takumi.

“I would not blame you, either, should you come to make the same decision.”

The world seemed to stand still for a little moment, here in the fox spirit’s realm where the setting sun outside started to bathe the sky in oranges and purples. Takumi wondered if he was simply trapped in an elaborate dream or an illusion caused by the enchantment he was under.

“What you’re meaning to say…” he forced out, “is that…”

He didn’t dare to finish the sentence.

“I do believe you have the answer to your question now,” said the kitsune and leaned down to press a kiss to his temple. “I remember you also asking me to stop sending you gifts. I will give you another one, however. Consider it an apology if you will.”

“An… apology?”

“Indeed. I treated you harshly when we first met. Human hearts are fragile, and yet I could not contain my curiosity and joy despite knowing I was causing you pain. You may not believe a yōkai like me, but I feel remorse for it. Even now it is still haunting your dreams, is it not?”

Takumi flushed bright red, out of embarrassment at being read so easily, but also because this was all getting too much. Had he really heard all of the things that he had heard? Had he understood them correctly? He was-

“You called for me?” an unfamiliar high and nasal voice suddenly spoke. Takumi whipped around, searching for the speaker. He found it in an odd-looking creature that floated in the doorway. It simply floated there, almost at his height, and stared at him with big, round eyes. Its head looked like that of an elephant (though much smaller, of course, and partly covered in fur), but the rest of its body resembled some sort of smaller mammal with brown-and-white fur that displayed both spotted and striped patterns. It had paws like a lion and a white and fluffy tail that didn’t resemble any animal Takumi could think of.

He blinked. The strange creature blinked back.

“Who is this human?” it asked in its strange, nasally voice. Well, that was probably just what your voice sounded like if you had a trunk.

Belatedly, Takumi realised that he recognised this creature who was quite obviously a yōkai. It was a baku, a dream eater!

“Hello, friend,” the kitsune greeted his fellow yōkai. “I called you because I have a favour to ask. You wouldn’t mind helping out this human here with the nightmares he has, would you?”

Takumi turned back around to stare at him. He certainly hadn’t expected something like this. A baku, a real baku that the kitsune wanted to help him! Baku were well-known for being benevolent, but very elusive creatures that ate humans' bad dreams and guarded their sleep.

He was torn out of his thoughts by the baku’s grey trunk that appeared next to his face and sniffed a few times.

“They smell tasty, those dreams,” the baku stated, sounding satisfied. Takumi couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. He had to admit that the baku’s voice sounded pretty adorable. Fortunately, the yōkai didn’t seem to feel insulted by his reactions.

“Very well,” it said. “That’s a favour I will gladly do for you.”

“Thank you.” The kitsune smiled when the baku disappeared as abruptly as it had arrived. “A charming creature, isn’t it?” he asked Takumi upon spotting his little grin.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Takumi stuttered, remembering the situation. He bowed. “Thank you very much.”

The kitsune shook his head gently, still smiling. “I said it was an apology.” He held out his hand, a gesture so familiar to Takumi by now.

“The sun is setting,” he said. “It is time for me to bring you back home.”

A bout of dizziness and a shift of scenery later, Takumi found himself back in front of the kitsune statue at the shrine. The yōkai’s embrace lingered for a bit longer this time. It seemed as if he didn’t quite want to let go yet, or as if there was something he still wanted to say.

“I hope this trip did not confuse you too much.”

Takumi barely had time to shake his head before the kitsune continued, “Now, there is one last gift I have for you.”

He bent down so that his mouth was directly next to Takumi’s ear and the latter could feel his warm breath ghosting across his skin.

“I have your name, Fujiwara Takumi, so I will give you mine in return. Keep it safe, and I will guard you as well.”

He made another short pause that barely gave Takumi any time to process what had happened and what was still happening.

“My name,” the kitsune whispered, “is Ryousuke.”

Then he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Now I finally don't have to type "the kitsune this" and "the fox spirit that" all the time! :D
> 
> Also, I just couldn't resist bringing a baku character into this. I love baku; they're my favourite yokai! Mostly because a) eating dreams is a very cool power that I always liked and especially b) elephants are my very favourite animal. It's said that baku are likely based on tapirs (who are also cute), but when they appear in pop culture, they often resemble elephants a lot more. My favourite example is Bakumon from the Digimon franchise. [Look at it!](https://wikimon.net/File:Bakumon_BS.jpg) It's so adorable! That's the kind of spirit I wanted to go with in this story.  
Aah, I love baku. I could rant about them a lot more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to @dragobonita, who not only keeps enabling me, but also gave me the prompt for this one. Not sure if I managed your challenge, but it did inspire me to write this chapter. ;)
> 
> I'll be away this weekend, but I sort of wanted to leave you all with something to read. Thankfully, I felt inspired last evening and wrote most of this chapter until the necessity of sleep stopped me. I'm currently on the train and typing this and part of the chapter on my phone, so please excuse eventual mistakes.
> 
> Those were lots of largely uninteresting details, but here you go! New chapter! ;)

On a regular cloudy afternoon, the bell above the tofu shop’s door rung.

“Customer!” Takumi’s father shouted from the back, where he was still busy sorting through the storage.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” Takumi called back, sighed, and stepped behind the counter – only to freeze for a moment when he saw _who_ exactly had entered the shop.

“Hello there,” said the younger of the two kitsune and smirked at him. His ears and tail weren’t visible this time and he was missing his kimono, donning more modern clothes instead in his disguise as a human. Takumi wondered whether he would have recognised him for a yōkai if he hadn’t known him before. On first glance, he did look like a human. Upon looking more closely, however, there was still something unnerving about him that gave away that he wasn’t just any normal mortal.

Takumi realised that he had been silent for a long moment, and hastily inclined his head slightly in greeting. “I- uh, hello. What brings you here, kitsune-sama?”

“Why, I wanted to buy something, of course. I’m just a normal customer.” The kitsune was still grinning, and Takumi wondered if that was supposed to be a joke.

He decided to play along. “What can I get you, then?”

The kitsune laid a finger on his chin, pretending to think about it, and smiled coyly. “I would like one portion of fried tofu.”

“…Coming right up.”

Nervously, Takumi disappeared into the back to prepare the kitsune’s order. He was being toyed with again. He found it easier to deal with the kitsune as, well, _kitsune_, instead of playing this pretend game.

Takumi made sure to pick only the best and crunchiest-looking pieces of fried tofu for the yōkai. He wondered if he might be here because of what his brother had said and done last time.

Scratch that, he was _definitely_ here because of that.

Thinking of it, Takumi knew of no legends that told of kitsune that were siblings. He was pretty sure that there were none. On one hand, that meant that maybe none of the cautionary tales were about these two kitsune in particular. On the other hand, the fact that Takumi knew absolutely nothing about sibling relationships among kitsune was a bit disconcerting. He didn’t know why exactly the younger kitsune was paying him a visit. Takumi hoped earnestly that he was not the subject of a family dispute among yōkai. That would be a whole other level of horrible for him.

He brought the bag of tofu back to the front, wondering whether the kitsune knew that his brother had given Takumi his name. As far as their earlier encounters had gone, he was almost certain that the kitsune was here to make some threats.

Takumi sighed. Why did it have to be him?

The kitsune was waiting in the shop, inspecting his humble surroundings when Takumi returned. Takumi nervously cleared his throat. “Would you like anything else?” he asked.

The yōkai turned towards him and smiled. He gripped the bag with tofu in Takumi’s hand, but did not take it yet. Their hands were touching, and Takumi would have sworn it was deliberate. The kitsune leaned over the counter and said in a lowered voice, “The honour of your company tonight.”

Takumi’s facial expression must have been especially hilarious, since the kitsune took one look at it and broke out into loud laughter.

“No need to look so scandalised, little human,” he snickered after he had somewhat calmed down again. “I want to go for a little walk once it’s dark, and I want you to accompany me. No flying this time.” He winked.

“Uhm- I don’t know-“ Takumi stuttered. What was the kitsune planning this time? If he wanted to get rid of Takumi because he knew his brother’s name now, a lonely evening walk would be a perfect opportunity. He could also kill him or curse him with silence here and there, though, unless he planned to torment him, too-

As if the kitsune had heard his thoughts, he said, “Nothing bad will happen to you. I give you my promise.” It was an almost exact echo of what his brother Ryousuke – heavens, did it feel weird to even think of him by his actual name – had also said to Takumi. He wondered if it was deliberate.

But he still had to give his answer, and the kitsune was looking at him expectantly.

“…Okay then,” Takumi said, and wondered why the kitsune was way more unnerving in his human disguise. Maybe it was the fact that he still grinned with his teeth bared, and that said teeth looked just a tiny bit too pointy to not belong to a carnivore.

“Very good,” the kitsune said, sounding very satisfied indeed. He finally took the bag with fried tofu and stopped touching Takumi’s hand though, so that was a small relief.

Before heading out, though, he leaned a bit closer once more. “Be outside at nine o’clock sharp. I will be expecting you.” Then he turned around and left the shop. Halfway through the door, he added, “See you later, Takumi.” Then he was finally gone, and Takumi could finally concentrate on trying to get his speeding pulse to calm down.

His dad stuck his head through the doorway leading to the back of the shop. “Who was that? Did you know each other?”

“Just someone I know from school,” Takumi quickly lied. How much of the conversation had his dad overheard? _‘Please don’t let it be too much.’_

But his dad just shrugged and retreated back into the storage part of the shop. “Remember that it’s your turn to clean the equipment today,” he called back over his shoulder like an afterthought.

“Yeah, yeah,” Takumi mumbled, but his mind was already occupied with wondering what would happen to him tonight.

~~~

Where in the day the sky had been grey and murky, all clouds were now gone and gave free sight to the starry night sky. The air was mild enough for Takumi to leave the house without a jacket. It was two minutes before nine when he stepped out into the light of the street lantern in front of the house. He couldn’t deny that he was nervous. How could he _not_ be? He had thought visiting the kitsune’s realm had been bad, but after what had happened there, Takumi was more concerned about the younger kitsune brother and the fact that he didn’t know his motives.

The light of the streetlamp flickered off. Takumi let out a surprised gasp as the space around him was suddenly bathed in darkness. Before he could flee back into the house, he saw a little blue light flicker in front of him. It seemed to hover in the air and moved from side to side for a moment as if trying to decide for a direction to take. Takumi stared at it, transfixed.

Was that… a fox light?

Suddenly, the light flew closer to him at an unexpected speed, and Takumi had to squint as it had gotten brighter at the same time while it hovered almost in front of his nose. This was a likely sign that the light was indeed meant for Takumi and not just there by chance.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the little light circled his head once and then took off to the right. Takumi hesitated for a second before following what he now recognised as a small blue flame. It was definitely a fox light, and the chance that it was sent by the kitsune seemed pretty high.

Takumi had to walk quickly and even jog sometimes as the fox light was quite speedy. It led him through the dark streets and to the road that led outside the city. At the border of the last houses, Takumi stopped walking. The forest lay before him, dark and menacing.

The light continued to fly towards the first line of trees before it seemed to notice that Takumi wasn’t following anymore. It came back to him and danced up and down as if insisting that he followed. Takumi took another uncertain glance at the forest. He had learned the hard way that it wasn’t safe for humans to go there at night. Was he really going to trust his assumption that this light had been sent by the kitsune and wasn’t meant to lead him astray?

Judging by the speed and choppiness of its movements, the fox light was growing impatient. If it could even feel emotions, that was. Takumi sighed. He was a fool, he decided, as he took the first few steps out of the safe embrace of the city.

The light led him into the trees, and immediately the light of the stars above vanished. Cicadas cried in the warm evening air, but even they got quieter as Takumi walked deeper and deeper into the forests. More of the blue fox lights started to appear in the foliage around him, but they all seemed to herd him in one direction. If the lights disappeared now, Takumi thought, he would probably not find his way back.

Finally, the lights slowed down. The trees in front of Takumi opened and gave way into a clearing. And there, amidst the low grass, stood the younger of the kitsune. He was back to wearing kimono and showing his ears and tails freely – wait. Tails?

Yes, even upon looking a second time, Takumi still saw two fox tails where there had been clearly only one when they last met. He wondered if it meant that the kitsune had had his two hundredth birthday, like some legends claimed. All legends agreed though that the more tails a kitsune had, the more powerful they were. And the kitsune certainly looked like he possessed powerful magic with all the phantom fire surrounding him.

He looked up, and his and Takumi’s eyes met.

“Ah. I see you’ve found your way here.”

He snipped his fingers and all fox lights disappeared and left only the moonlight shining into the clearing as a light source. It was a full moon night again, Takumi realised. He slowly stepped into the clearing, glad to get out of the dark tangle of trees.

“I decided to show you the way using my fox lights,” the kitsune said. “Did they surprise you?”

“Yes,” Takumi answered and lingered hesitantly at the edge of the clearing. The kitsune smiled at him, barely visible in the moonlight.

“Interesting that you decided to follow them. Weren’t you scared?”

Takumi blinked. “Only when they led me into the forest,” he admitted.

The kitsune hummed and beckoned him to come closer, which he did. “I can’t help but worry about you,” the yōkai stated thoughtfully. “You are easily led astray. All humans are. What if the lights had been caused by another yōkai?”

Takumi blushed, embarrassed and also a bit angry. “Why did you use them then in the first place?” Had it been some kind of test?

“I wanted to be sure…” the kitsune mumbled, trailing off before speaking the sentence to its end. He took three steps to close the distance between them. Takumi flinched when the yōkai’s clawed thumb came to rest on his forehead, right where the mark was.

“Do you remember me blessing you last time we saw each other?”

Takumi hummed, trying not to move too much while staring at the kitsune.

“That blessing protects you from other yōkai’s harmful magic. I was thinking that it would be better to stay safe.” He chuckled quietly. “I wouldn’t want everything to be ruined by you running into a yuki-onna. Considering your luck, it wouldn’t even be that unlikely.”

Takumi did feel a bit insulted by that. It also got him thinking, though. Would the kitsune go through that much trouble if he just wanted to mess with him? Was he trying to confuse him again? If yes, it was working.

“I didn’t know that kitsune could do that,” he said.

The fox spirit just smiled, thankfully not seeming insulted by a human questioning his powers.

“Our deity Inari Ōkami-sama sends us to answer the prayers directed at them,” he explained proudly. “My brother grants wishes for success, fortune, and a good harvest. I grant wishes for protection.”

“Your brother told me you inspire rebellion,” Takumi said without thinking.

The yōkai paused, then grinned at him, one eyebrow mockingly raised. “Protection from unreasonable authorities is also part of my task.”

Takumi wasn’t sure whether this reasoning was sound, but he wasn’t going to argue, either. On another stupid impulse, perhaps out of the need to direct the conversation into a safer direction, Takumi asked, “And who grants wishes for love?”

The kitsune laughed. “You should never pray to foxes for love.” He looked at Takumi as if expecting him to say something, but the latter couldn’t think of any comment and looked away instead.

_‘Of course not,’_ he thought, cursing himself for asking such a stupid question.

“Don’t pull a face like that, human,” the kitsune said. “It does not suit you.” Takumi couldn’t stop his cheeks from blushing after hearing that. He tried to identify what kind of expression, exactly, the yōkai was referring to.

“Either way, let me show you what I have brought you here for,” the latter said while Takumi was still distracted.

“Huh?” Takumi made, torn from his thoughts. The kitsune chuckled.

“I did not call you here to explain my blessing to you. Come on, Takumi. Let us lay down in the grass.”

The blush from before returned to Takumi’s face with a vengeance. From asking for his “company tonight” to whatever _this_ was, he was sure that the kitsune was deliberately teasing him.

Said yōkai laughed again. “Seriously, the _faces_ you pull. You are already doing a good job at entertaining me.”

“Entertaining you?” Takumi echoed, hating how squeaky his voice suddenly sounded.

The kitsune’s face turned somewhat serious again. “Never mind. Just lay down with me.”

That still sounded way too ambiguous, but when the kitsune first sat down and then leaned back into the grass, Takumi followed. The grass was really soft here. Along with the moss growing in between, it felt like a natural mattress. He was looking up at the night sky and almost gasped at how beautiful and bright the stars looked from here.

“The sky is beautiful tonight, is it not?” the fox spirit said.

“It is,” Takumi could only answer. He could have lost himself in the awe-inspiring sight if he hadn’t been so keenly aware that he wasn’t alone here.

Somewhere next to him, the kitsune shifted. Takumi turned his head and saw that the fox spirit was laying on his side now, head propped up on one arm and looking at him. “Do you feel tired?”

The question alarmed Takumi. “No,” he answered. Truthfully, since the kitsune’s presence made him feel way more awake than he would usually be by this time.

The kitsune reached out with his free hand and softly brushed his fingers down the bare skin of Takumi’s arm. Takumi shivered involuntarily.

“I am,” the kitsune said nonchalantly as if not knowing what effect his current actions had on Takumi. "Did you know that some legends say that sleeping under a full moon grants you visions of the future?"

"Uhm, no." Was that why the kitsune had brought him here; to show him something that lay in the future? 

The fox spirit grinned again. "Then again, other legends say that it just makes you go insane." 

Takumi quickly glanced at him. What was he trying to do here?! This was so confusing. Takumi didn't know how much he had to be on guard, since the kitsune seemed to just refuse getting to the point and talking about the topic that Takumi was expecting. What was the kitsune thinking about his brother revealing his name to Takumi? And, well, the... other thing, too.

"Would you like to take a chance?" the kitsune murmured. 

No, Takumi really didn't. The fact that the kitsune was here with him and didn't make his intentions clear, the way the moonlight was shining so brightly tonight, and what the kitsune had just said: All those things kept Takumi keenly awake. And this time, there was no magic-imbued honey. 

"Well, think about it, then," the kitsune said and yawned. "This place is safe. Nothing will manage to enter this clearing."

_'And I won't be able to leave it,'_ Takumi realised. _'Not on my own. Not without guidance.' _He would get horribly lost in the forest. He was, by all means, trapped here. And judging by the quiet breaths coming from next to him, his captor had already fallen asleep. He was still holding onto Takumi's hand.

Takumi sighed. Somehow, this still didn't feel as terrifying as when he had visited the two yōkai's realm. When he looked back up at the nightly sky, he was reminded of when he used to go stargazing as a little child. He had to stay inside the city, of course, but from the roof of their house, the stars had been visible. The had never been as clear as out here, of course. But something had made his childhood self feel like could talk to his mother this way. A dumb and childish thought, of course, but it had comforted him for a long time until he finally stopped believing in it and, at the same time, lost interest in the stars. All that mattered was on the earth, after all. To humans, at least.

Takumi turned his head to look at the kitsune sleeping next to him. To yōkai, the world was much bigger. They knew things humans never could, which gave them their power over nature. 

Was that what the kitsune had meant to show him by bringing him here? That even though he knew a yōkai's name now, he was still far too insignificant and powerless to try and do anything with it? Maybe. 

If that was the case, he could have spared himself the trouble. Takumi already knew not to mess with powers he didn't understand. Even though that was what the two kitsune kept driving him to do...

He sighed again. The kitsune next to him looked surprisingly peaceful in his sleep. Not dangerous or cunning at all. He looked like all sleeping beings did: Vulnerable. And, Takumi couldn't help but think, he looked stunningly beautiful. 

Takumi blushed again and hastily looked away from the kitsune's face. In doing so, he noticed something half-hidden beneath the silk fabric of the kimono. Upon curiously looking closer, he saw that the mysterious object was a pearl, threaded onto a leather band that was looped around the fox spirit's neck. It seemed to be made from porcelain, maybe, as it glimmered enticingly in the pale moonlight.

It took Takumi a moment to realise what it was. This pearl was the source of a kitsune's magic and life force, and even moreso than a name it gave its holder power over the owner. 

Takumi gulped. Suddenly, the temptation to reach out and take the pearl seemed far too big. He wouldn't have to be afraid of the two yōkai anymore, not if he had one's name and one's pearl... More than that, it would give him the power of a kitsune. 

Suddenly flooded by a feeling of terror, Takumi pulled his hand back. He hadn't even noticed himself reaching out. What was he thinking?! Things like that never ended well!

Wouldn't he betray the kitsune's trust, too? It would be unfair to take this opportunity. The kitsune had been kind to him and they had been fair, adhering to their word and letting him walk away freely every time. Ryousuke-sama had even asked a baku to help him after finding out about his nightmares, as if he didn't even want him to be scared. 

Sure, Takumi didn't trust the kitsune fully, and maybe he would come to regret letting this opportunity pass. But he couldn't do this. He wasn't like this. It would feel so wrong.

Swallowing heavily and feeling guilty for just having to think about it for so long, Takumi turned his head to look at the sky again. Whether it resulted in the best outcome for him or not, this was the decision he had made.

The kitsune's hand, still touching his own, moved. 

A thumb stroked the outside of his palm, and Takumi's head snapped back around to stare at the kitsune. 

The fox spirit's eyes were open and meeting his stare.

A hot-cold rush of some unidentifiable feeling somewhere between fear and relief flooded through Takumi. The kitsune smiled at him. 

"I thought so," he murmured, then added, "I am very glad." 

This had been a _test. _

Takumi shivered as the kitsune inched closer and put his free arm over him, hand resting at the back of his head. He was so close now that Takumi could smell the sandalwood and bergamot aroma again. He wanted to ask for forgiveness for even considering, but he couldn't get one word out. 

"Of course my brother told me what he did," the kitsune said. "I was angry at him, and worried. But I know him to not be a careless person, and I came to understand why he did what he did." 

He leaned his head forward so that their foreheads were touching. Takumi's breath hitched as he looked into the kitsune's blue eyes. The expression contained in them conveyed incredible fondness more than his actions did. 

"I just needed to make sure..." the kitsune breathed, and kissed Takumi, very chastely, on the lips. Takumi thought he was going to faint.

"K-kitsune-sama?!" he stammered.

The kitsune smiled at his reaction. It wasn't an unkind smile. “Since my brother entrusted his name to you, I have made the decision to do the same. It was difficult for me to trust his judgement, but I understand now. If there was one mortal to deserve this gift, it would be you." 

He retreated a bit, then, pulling his hands back and giving Takumi more space. Takumi almost began to miss the closeness.

"My name is Keisuke. Keep it safe," the kitsune said. Takumi nodded speechlessly. 

The yōkai looked at him for one more long moment, then his deep, raw expression relaxed into something more mischievous that Takumi was already familiar with.

"Well, we are now in a stalemate since we know your name and you know ours. That’s better grounds for a relationship, wouldn’t you think?” he asked and chuckled.

“A… relationship?” Takumi forced out, flushing at how weak his voice sounded.

The kitsune – Keisuke – smirked at him. “Of course. Did you think we did not have one already? Like it or not, your life is connected to us. Whatever decision you end up making.”

“Kitsune-sama…”

“Come on, little one,” the kitsune interrupted him. “I didn’t tell you my name for you to continue calling me that.”

“Of course, kitsu- uh, Keisuke-sama.” It felt so strange to say that to a yōkai, even if said yōkai had just kissed him on the lips.

Keisuke rolled his eyes, but didn’t complain again. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet. Looking down at Takumi, he said, "Get up. If you like, I will lead you back home now. To a proper bed." He winked, and Takumi shot him a tiny glare. He stumbled to his feet, letting Keisuke help him up. A snipping of the kitsune's fingers, and the fox lights flickered back to life around them. "Almost like candlelight, no?" 

"_Please_ stop that," Takumi sighed. Keisuke cheerfully patted his head. 

"Maybe some other time, then. We have time," he said, and, to Takumi's chagrin, winked at him again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly? I don't know if this story will ever get an ending or stay in the weird limbo between having a plot and being a collection of vaguely related moments. But honestly, I don't care. I have so much fun writing it. I'm forever grateful to everyone who encouraged me to post and continue it. :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi wants to find out more before relenting to Keisuke's constant flirting and Ryousuke's hopeful smile from beyond the border to the yōkai realm. After all, the rule goes: If you can't get rid of them, you might as well develop a crush on them!  
(Author's PSA: Please do not follow this rule in real life. It adheres to ambiguously well-meaning kitsune _only_, and even then it's still quite risky. I'm stating this just so it can't be said that I'm giving out terrible life advice here! :')

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth be told, I have pretty bad problems with writing right now. I feel like I've hit a wall with the story I want to continue the most, everything else refuses to flow either, exams are approaching, my anxiety is skyrocketing and so is my lack of energy (if that can even do something like "skyrocket". That sounds far too energetic).  
So naturally, I was delighted when I at least got a smidgeon of an idea and motivation for this story right before falling asleep. Even more miraculously, it was still there the next day.
> 
> So while this chapter is more of an exposition bomb, at least I'm _writing_. It could probably also be better, but folks, _I'm writing_. I'm so happy. :')

The nights of late summer were starting to get colder. Soon, the leaves would start changing colour. It was at this time of the year that the shrine likely had the most visitors, since the view on the surrounding mountains was quite nice from there.

Takumi wondered if he should pay it a visit again, too. There were many questions he would like to ask and many things he was still unsure about; but on the other hand, he had the feeling that he needed to figure this out by himself. There was only so much that the kitsune would be willing to tell him, even ones that appeared as kind as the two brothers.

Maybe he needed a different viewpoint. Since the kitsune were shrine guardians and therefore must have been around in this area for quite a while, there had to be stories about them. If Takumi remembered correctly, kitsune in particular had often mingled with human society even before the uprising. Maybe some of the elders that Takumi occasionally delivered tofu to knew a few legends and would tell them to him.

"The local foxes of Inari? Why do you want to know about them?" asked the old Watanabe-san after Takumi had asked his question at the door. The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth made him look like someone who laughed a lot, and he always seemed to be in a good mood whenever Takumi saw him. That was the reason why he had decided to ask him about it first. But there was another, somewhat more important reason: As far as Takumi knew, Watanabe-san used to work in the town's archive and knew a lot about the area's history and mythology.

"Oh, no reason in particular," Takumi mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I just want to know if they've ever shown themselves at all. Shrine guardians would be powerful, right? Ever since running across that umbrella yōkai, I've been sort of scared of encountering something more powerful at night, I guess." The lie left his lips easily, but then again, it wasn't _exactly_ a lie even though he felt sort of bad about it. He absolutely _had_ been scared of doing deliveries in the dark for a while, but that had been years ago when he was still a child.

Watanabe-san was unaware of that fact. "I see why you would," the old man said. "Kitsune cause a lot of mischief among us humans, don't they? There are a few stories I've heard- Oh, but what am I talking about here in the doorway! Come in, Fujiwara-kun; it's awfully breezy tonight."

"Ah, there's no need," Takumi tried to say, but Watanbe-san waved his concerns off.

"You're young and not so sensitive, but I'm getting a bit cold out here!" he laughed and bid Takumi to come inside.

"Sorry. Thank you," the latter mumbled and was led into the living room, where he was promptly served a cup of tea and offered a plate of cookies. The elder wouldn't take his polite no for an answer, so Takumi found himself sitting at his table and munching on sweet baked goods. He wondered if old people were the same everywhere; as his late grandpa would have done the exact same thing.

Watanabe-san, as it turned out, had been the right person to ask. Not only did he like to laugh; he also seemed to enjoy telling stories.

"You wanted to hear about the shrine guardians, didn't you? Ah, it's so nice when today's youth appreciates the old legends. Here, here; take another cookie!"

After Takumi had done so, the old man leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face. "I've not had such a nice visitor in a while. My granddaughter visited last month, but I'm expecting her to come over for my birthday, too- Excuse me. Where were we again? Oh. The shrine guardians. Yes, of course." He smiled a bit and sighed. "There's quite a few stories about them around these parts, but few of the younger generations still know them. Which is concerning, really, seeing how important it is to know about the yōkai that live near you nowadays! My grandmother used to tell us all stories of the yōkai uprising and how valuable knowledge of the old legends suddenly became…"

He paused, seemingly lost in memories for a moment. Takumi shifted in his chair, trying to imagine what it had been like for humans back then. Now, four generations later, being wary of yōkai was normal behaviour (although some idiots were still stupid enough to run into the forest at night, Takumi thought grimly).

"Ah, excuse the eccentricities of an old man," Watanabe-san tore him from his thoughts. He seemed to have remembered the reason they were sitting here. "The legends. You are here for the legends. Well, well… You know that there appear to be exactly two guardians of our little shrine, right?"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah, I figured so since there are two fox statues."

"Good, good." Watanabe-san chuckled thoughtfully. "What's interesting is that in contrast to most other kitsune tales you hear in other parts of the country, the ones from around here mostly feature the kitsune as male. I think that's pretty remarkable."

Takumi nodded as if that was completely new to him, even though part of him was slightly disturbed as he remembered that kitsune, as shapeshifters, could take on absolutely any human appearance they wanted. Their original form, of course, were their fox bodies. And then they supposedly also had the human appearance they took on in their first transformation as their "true" human form. Takumi wondered if the appearances he was familiar with by now were actually the two's original appearances. And whether that actually mattered, since he was likely never going to find out and he knew the kitsune only in those forms. It would only be interesting to know if that was how they had always shown themselves to humans… Maybe he would find out about that.

"According to the records, a lot of people used to pray to them," the elder continued his story, and Takumi concentrated on his tale again. "They are even said to occasionally answer those prayers. But apparently, the younger of the two does so far more often than the older."

Somehow, Takumi could imagine that.

"Fewer people seem to be praying to them nowadays. But I remember it being the same in my youth. It happened too frequently that children got lost in the forest or houses burned down with no one ever finding out why…" Watanabe-san sighed. "We are more careful nowadays, but back then the fear of yōkai was still fresh and new. Nobody felt like praying to them."

Takumi lowered his head. He wasn't sure what Watanabe-san would think if he knew that he had trusted a kitsune enough to follow his ghostly flames into the forest. Of course he had heard many stories about the uprising and the decades that followed. Compared to that, they lived in relative peace today. Not leaving the city at night seemed like a small price to pay for that.

"No need to look like that, Fujiwara-kun. Drink some more tea, that will cheer you up!" Watanabe-san said upon noticing his expression.

Takumi hesitantly took a sip and remembered when Ryousuke-sama had served him tea in his home. He wondered if the kitsune was sad or maybe angry about the fact that humans rarely prayed to him anymore. He had spoken with such pride about his past achievements and the blessings he had given to humans.

Watanabe-san poured more tea into Takumi's cup as soon as he had set it down again. "Tea always makes me happy. To be honest, I used to often bring some tea to the shrine when I was younger." Takumi looked up in surprise at the old man's confession. The latter chuckled as he saw his face. "Yes, you've heard that right. I used to pray for luck in finding a good job, and I guess I can't complain. Divine intervention or not." He winked, and Takumi smiled. Maybe someone had answered that prayer. At the very least, Takumi was lucky that he could hear those stories now.

"Anyway, if you ever want to do the same, I'd be careful with what I wish for." The old man's expression got more serious again. "Kitsune are still tricksters that might bring you terrible misfortune on a whim. Eventually, I stopped bringing offerings to the shrine. Most legends about the guardians seem to agree on the fact that the older of the two kitsune has become distant from humans and rarely bothers with us. On the other hand, there are many tales of the younger one disguising himself and mingling with the townsfolk. He supposedly likes to mess with humans occasionally. He's also more likely to actually help you, but only for a price that may be too high to pay."

He looked up and seemed to notice the way Takumi had tensed up at his words. Interpreting his reaction the wrong way, he said, "Don't worry, Fujiwara-kun. I'm sure you won't actually meet him. And even if you did, the obvious solution is just not to take up mysterious strangers on their tempting deals!" He laughed at that, but Takumi struggled to get the traces of his mortification off his face. That story sounded entirely too much like Keisuke-sama. An undeniably more malicious version of Keisuke-sama. If that was his true personality, Takumi had already lost.

"Anyway," the old man continued, "I personally would be more wary of the older one. There's a pretty well-known legend about him holding a grudge against humans. Do you know it? No? Well, I guess that's what you came here for. The legend says that hundreds of years ago, that kitsune fell in love with a beautiful human woman. He courted her and asked her to marry him, but she rejected his feelings and married a human. The kitsune felt so insulted and enraged that he cursed the couple; and it's said that the human man's family line was extinguished shortly after. That's the short version, of course. Some versions of the legend list all the gifts the kitsune gave to the woman and say that he asked her to marry him many times before she finally said no. And there's one version where the kitsune's revenge consisted in burning the entire city to the ground and there only being three survivors, but I can say for sure that one is purely fictional since there are no records of such a big fire… Hm? Why are you pulling a face like that? Is the tea too bitter?"

"Huh? No, uh, no, the tea's fine, thank you," Takumi stuttered. There was a heavy feeling in his stomach, and he was certain it wasn't the cookies' fault. He was almost certain that there was at least a grain of truth in the story he had just heard, and that the woman Ryousuke-sama had told him about was the exact same person as in the legend.

Once again, Watanabe-san interpreted his reaction wrongly. "Ha, don't worry too much, youngling," he laughed. "Neither of the kitsune have been seen in decades. And as long as you don't leave the city at night like those unlucky young men a few weeks ago, you will have nothing to fear. Whether those legends are true or not! You know, before the uprising people really liked to exaggerate their yōkai stories. They didn't actually show themselves that often back then."

Takumi sighed. That was true, although the reminder about Miki and the others certainly didn't help his conflicted feelings. How many of those legends really happened?

The old man offered him more tea, but Takumi declined. His cup was still about half full, and he quickly took a few sips upon noticing.

"And besides," Watanabe-san added smilingly, "Those kitsune are servants of Inari-okami, aren't they? The deity surely wouldn't accept them in their shrine if they did such terrible things to the humans who prayed for guidance. The only yōkai that you're likely to run across at night are harmless ones. And you really don't need to fear something like a kasa-obake, for example."

Takumi almost choked on his tea. That stupid encounter from his childhood followed him everywhere, didn't it? People just couldn't resist bringing it up. Of course an eight-year-old would be scared by a screaming yōkai in his way! That's what Takumi thought, anyway. He pouted a little, although Watanabe-san likely didn't even know the story. At least it had diverted his thoughts a bit. One thing was clear, though: He now had a lot more thinking to do than before listening to the stories. They had only given him more questions.

"Thank you for taking the time to tell me all of this, Watanabe-san," he said. The old man chuckled. He really did laugh a lot.

"Me? I have all the time in the world. I really enjoyed sharing my stories with the younger generations. If you ever want to know something about legends or the city's history again, you're welcome to return."

Takumi smiled shakily and stood up. "Thank you, Watanabe-san," he repeated. "I need to go home now. It's gotten late."

The old man nodded and led him to the door. As Takumi took his leave, he called after him, "Tell your father that his portions have been getting smaller!" He snickered and retreated back into his house. Takumi sighed. This conversation had probably been a mistake. He didn't know what he expected when asking about legends about the kitsune. Of course most of them would be negative. Positive stories about yōkai had gotten quite rare.

But that's what they were: Legends. All of them likely had some truth about them, but what was real… Well, Takumi had the opportunity to find out.

_'Maybe more like the burden,'_ Takumi thought and sighed quietly in the dark night. Keisuke-sama had lately made it a habit to visit the shop when Takumi was in the front, and it was pretty certain he wouldn't stop his approaches anytime soon. Takumi had to think of something.

He had come to like the two fox spirits. They seemed so genuine, but now it appeared that Takumi had to find out how much of that was true more than ever.

Two days later, Takumi was sweeping the pavement in front of the shop when it happened. When he hit an old barrel of rainwater with his broom, something jumped out from behind it.

Takumi bit back a surprised shout and almost dropped his broom.

Staring at him from one big eye was a grinning kasa-obake. The red paper of the umbrella was torn and bleached from age, and Takumi was pretty sure he recognised that yellow handle.

_Unbelievable._

He tilted his head. The umbrella yōkai continued grinning at him. Takumi huffed. "Because of you, everyone keeps making fun of me."

The kasa-obake stuck out its tongue at him.

"Rude," Takumi mumbled.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh. This was so, so self-indulgent.


End file.
